Comparative assessment of energy metabolism, body composition and metabolic features in children with hypothalamic and simple obesity

Background: Hypothalamic obesity often develops after surgical treatment of craniopharyngioma and is characterized by rapid weight gain, high frequency of metabolic disorders, body composition specificity and resistance to standard lifestyle modification approaches and medication therapy of obesity. Recent studies show that one of the mechanisms, explaining weight gain in these children is decrease in resting energy expenditure (REE).

Aims: To compare REE, body composition parameters, and the frequency of metabolic disorders in children with hypothalamic and simple obesity.

Materials and methods: The study included 60 obese children aged 7 to 17 years, divided into two groups. The study group included 20 children with hypothalamic obesity, developed after craniopharyngioma treatment. The control group consisted of 40 children with simple obesity. Body composition, REE, and metabolic disorders were associated in all children.

Results: Children with hypothalamic obesity showed a significant decrease of resting energy expenditure. The average decrease in REE was 13.1%, but in single patients it reached 33.4%. The percentage of fat mass in hypothalamic and simple obesity does not differ significantly (39.7% [36.2; 42.6] vs 38.8 % [35.9; 43.2]; p=0.69). Screening for metabolic disorders revealed a high prevalence of metabolic disorders in hypothalamic obesity: impaired glucose tolerance - in 10%; dyslipidemia - 55%, insulin resistance-50%, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease - 60 %.

Conclusions: Children with hypothalamic obesity showed a significant decrease of resting energy expenditure. When planning a diet in this group of patients it is preferable to use indirect calorimetry. Hypothalamic obesity even at an early age is associated with a high frequency of metabolic disturbance. Hypothalamic obesity in children is not associated with more pronounced hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance compared to the simple obesity.

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